Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities

Occupational Injuries and Illnesses by Selected Characteristics for State and Local Government News Release

For release 10:00 a.m. (EST) Tuesday, November 9, 2010 USDL-10-1546
Technical information: (202) 691-6170 - iifstaff@bls.gov - www.bls.gov/iif/oshcdnew.htm
Media contact: (202) 691-5902 - PressOffice@bls.gov
NONFATAL OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES REQUIRING DAYS AWAY FROM WORK, 2009
The number of reported nonfatal occupational injury and illness cases that require days away from work to recuperate
decreased by 9 percent to 1,238,490 cases in 2009 for private industry, state government, and local government,
according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The total incidence rate decreased 5 percent to 117 cases per
10,000 full-time workers. Some of the overall decrease in case counts may be attributed to economic factors,
including a decrease in employment and total hours worked, particularly in construction and manufacturing.
Key Findings:
* Significant decreases in the number of cases reported in the private sector for construction and extraction workers
(decreased 26 percent); production workers (decreased 22 percent); and transportation and material moving workers
(decreased 13 percent) contributed to the overall decrease in the number of cases of nonfatal injuries and illnesses
with days away from work. Incidence rates decreased 12 percent for both construction workers and production workers and
decreased 5 percent for transportation and material workers. (See table 2.)
* Despite the total decrease in the incidence rate, the following occupations in the private sector had increases in
their rates: light or delivery service truck drivers (increased 24 percent); landscapers and groundskeepers (increased
10 percent); restaurant cooks (increased 20 percent); and registered nurses (increased 5 percent). (See chart A.)
* Protective service occupations had the highest proportion of injury and illness cases in each of the government
sectors. In state government, the incidence rate was 418 cases for this occupation group, and in local government, it
was 505 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. (See table 2.)
* Contact with objects or equipment was a frequent event or exposure resulting in an occupational injury or illness and
accounted for 24 percent of all cases, even though the number decreased by 12 percent. The incidence rate for this
event or exposure decreased 8 percent to 28 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. (See table 4.)
* Sprains, strains, and tears continue to dominate the type of occupational injury or illness occurring to all workers.
The number of cases of sprains, strains, and tears decreased by 7 percent while the incidence rate decreased 4 percent
to 47 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. (See table 4.)
* The number of musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) cases declined by 9 percent to 348,740 cases and accounted for 28 percent
of all cases for all ownerships, the same proportion as reported in the previous year. Declines in the number of MSD
cases for private sector laborers and freight, stock, and material movers (decreased 17 percent); truck drivers, heavy
and tractor trailer (decreased 13 percent); and nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants (decreased 7 percent)
contributed to the overall decrease. (See table 20.)
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| With this release, incidence rates for state government and local|
| government occupations are available for the first time. |
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Private industry
In the private sector, the number of days-away-from-work cases decreased 11 percent to 964,990 cases. This is the first
time the number of cases in the private sector has been below 1 million since data have been collected. The incidence
rate decreased 6 percent to 106 cases per 10,000 full-time workers in the private sector--a decline from 113 in 2008.
The median days away from work--a key measure of severity of injuries and illnesses--was 8 days, the same as the previous
year. (See table 1.)
In private industry, 18 percent (172,820 cases) of all occupational injuries and illnesses occurred in health care and
social assistance at a higher incidence rate (139) than all private industry. The case count and incidence rate did not
change significantly from the previous year. One in three injuries or illnesses in this industry were the result of
overexertion, with an incidence rate of 46 cases per 10,000 full-time workers.
The incidence rate for transportation and warehousing decreased 8 percent to 227 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, but
remained the highest incidence rate of all industry sectors. The number of cases decreased 13 percent for this industry.
Half of the injury and illness cases in this industry were the result of overexertion or contact with objects or
equipment. Injuries and illnesses from overexertion occurred at an incidence rate of 63 cases per 10,000 full-time
workers and contact with objects or equipment had an incidence rate of 52.
Workers in the mining industry suffered the longest absences from work requiring a median of 26 days away from
work--compared to 8 days for all industries. The number of median days increased from 15 median days in 2008 and
is approaching the series high of 27 days in 2007.
Occupation (private sector, state government, local government)
There were seven occupations where the incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers was greater than 300 and the number
of cases with days away from work was greater than 20,000. These occupations also had at least one-tenth of one percent
of total employment and include police and sheriff’s patrol officers; nursing aides, orderlies and attendants; light or
delivery service truck drivers; laborers and freight, stock and material movers; construction laborers; tractor-trailer
truck drivers; and janitors and cleaners. (See table 3.)
Of these seven occupations, laborers and freight, stock, and material movers had an incidence rate of 407 cases per
10,000 full-time workers and the highest number of days-away-from-work injuries and illnesses in 2009 with
64,910 (primarily in private industry). Police and sheriff’s patrol officers had the highest incidence rate, with
603 cases per 10,000 full-time workers (primarily in local government) for occupations with at least one-tenth of
one percent of total employment. Janitors and cleaners had an incidence rate of 316 cases and a case count of
48,180 total cases of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses, in which 56 percent occurred in the private
sector and 36 percent occurred in local government.
Private sector. In the private sector, the number of cases for laborers and freight, stock and material movers
decreased 23 percent to 61,440 cases in 2009. Injuries to workers in this occupation occurred primarily in the
transportation, trade, and utilities industry. (See table 8.) The incidence rate decreased 11 percent to 391 cases
per 10,000 full-time workers. The median days away from work for this occupation was 9 days--an increase of one day
from 2008.
(Chart A appears here in the .pdf version of this news release.)
Chart A. Incidence rates of injuries and illnesses with days away from work for selected occupations with increased
rates from 2008 to 2009, private industry (These occupations had at least 10,000 days-away-from-work cases in 2009.)
The number of days-away-from-work cases for private sector construction laborers decreased 24 percent to 23,860. The
incidence rate per 10,000 full-time workers for this occupation decreased 7 percent to 356 cases in 2009 from 383
cases in 2008.
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants had an incidence rate of 424 cases among occupations with a number of cases
greater than 25,000. However, the number of cases decreased 5 percent to 42,570 and the incidence rate decreased
6 percent.
Despite the total decrease in the number of cases in the private sector, the following occupations had increases:
light or delivery service truck drivers (increased 13 percent); registered nurses (increased 6 percent);
and restaurant cooks (increased 19 percent). These occupations also had increases in their incidence rates from the
previous year. (See chart A.)
State government. For state government, the number of cases with days away from work increased by 7 percent to
75,840 cases. The incidence rate was 180 cases per 10,000 full-time workers, which was statistically unchanged from
2008. The median days away from work was 9 days, the same as the previous year and one day more than private industry
and local government workers required to recuperate.
Correctional officers and jailers had an incidence rate of 451 cases, which is about two-and-one-half times the total
rate for state government. As in the previous year, this occupation reported by far the most injuries and illnesses in
state government with 16 percent of the total. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers in state government had an increase
of 40 percent in the number of cases (4,170) from 2008. Their rate was 567 per 10,000 full-time workers.
Local government. For local government, the incidence rate was 185 cases and the number of cases was 197,660--neither
figure was statistically different from 2008. The median days away from work was 8, one day less than the previous year.
Police and sheriff’s patrol officers had the highest number of cases with 31,300, an increase of 30 percent from 2008.
Their incidence rate was 676 per 10,000 full-time workers, which was over three-and-one-half times greater than the
incidence rate for all local government workers. Fire fighters had 13,900 cases in 2009 which was a decrease of 17
percent from 2008. Their incidence rate was 512 cases--over two-and-one-half times greater than the incidence rate for
all local government workers. These two occupations in public safety accounted for 23 percent of all days-away-from-work
cases in local government.
Case characteristics
A number of variables describe the circumstances of workplace injuries and illnesses that required one or more days away
from work. They include nature, part of body, source, and event or exposure, as well as "musculoskeletal disorders"
(an amalgamation of selected nature and event or exposure categories).
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A nursing aide sprains her back from overexertion in lifting a health care patient.
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(nature) (part of body)(event or exposure) (source)
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Event or Exposure. In 2009, three event or exposure categories accounted for 62 percent of total injuries and
illnesses requiring days away from work for all ownership sectors: contact with objects and equipment; overexertion;
and fall on same level. (See table 4.)
Contact with objects and equipment was the leading event or exposure with 299,030 cases and an incidence rate of
28 cases per 10,000 full-time workers. However, among seven occupations with greater than 25,000 cases and incidence
rates greater than 300, contact with objects and equipment was the leading event or exposure for only two occupations:
laborer and freight, stock, and material movers; and construction laborers. (See table A.)
Table A. Leading event or exposure for selected occupations, all ownerships, 2009
Days-away-from-work Incidence rate per Leading Event
Selected Occupations cases 10,000 full-time workers (percent of total)
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Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand 64,910 406.7 Contact with object or equipment (32%), Overexertion (32%)
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 50,620 455.6 Overexertion (48%), Fall on same level (17%)
Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners 48,180 316.2 Overexertion (29%), Contact with object or equipment (21%)
Truck drivers, heavy and tractor-trailer 47,790 327.6 Overexertion (23%), Contact with object or equipment (20%)
Police and sheriff’s patrol officers 35,590 603.2 Assaults and violent acts (23%), Transportation incidents (18%)
Truck drivers, light or delivery services 32,210 410.1 Overexertion (28%), Contact with object or equipment (16%)
Construction laborers 26,690 382.1 Contact with object or equipment (43%), Overexertion (17%)
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Of the injuries incurred from contact with objects or equipment, 29 percent were cuts, lacerations or punctures; 17
percent were bruises or contusions; and 12 percent were sprains, strains, and tears. Twenty-seven percent of contact with
objects or equipment injuries involved an injury to a finger or fingernail.
Overexertion accounted for 22 percent of all occupational injuries and illnesses. Among the seven occupations with
high case counts and incidence rates, it was the leading event or exposure for nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants;
janitors and cleaners; and all truck drivers (except driver/sales workers).
Nature of injury or illness. In 2009, sprain, strain, and tear injuries accounted for 40 percent of total injury and
illness cases requiring days away from work in all ownerships. Soreness and pain (including the back) accounted for
11 percent of total cases.
Forty-two percent of sprains, strains, and tears were the result of overexertion (see chart B). Bodily reaction
(such as bending, reaching, twisting or slipping without falling) accounted for another 22 percent and 11 percent were
the results of falls on the same level. In 37 percent of the sprain, strain and tear cases, the back was injured. In
another 27 percent of the cases, a lower extremity (typically the knee or ankle) was injured.
Sprain, strain, and tear cases where the shoulder was injured required a median of 22 days to recover, more than twice
as many median days than for all sprain, strain, and tear cases. Workers who sustained fractures required a median of
30 days to recuperate. Carpal tunnel syndrome required a median of 21 days to recuperate and electrical burns required a
median of 27 days.
(Chart B appears here in the .pdf version of this news release.)
Chart B. Sprains, strains, and tears by event or exposure and part of body, all ownerships, 2009
Musculoskeletal disorders. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), often referred to as ergonomic injuries, accounted for
28 percent of all workplace injuries and illnesses requiring time away from work in 2009. (See table 20.) A list of
nature of injury or illness and event or exposure categories that comprise musculoskeletal disorders can be found on
the BLS website: http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshdef.htm.
There were 348,740 MSDs in all ownerships (state government, local government, and private industry), a decrease of
9 percent from 2008. The rate of MSD injuries for all ownerships was 33 cases per 10,000 full-time workers; a decrease
of 6 percent from 35 in 2008. However, in state government, the rate increased by 19 percent, from 37 cases per
10,000 full-time workers to about 44 cases in 2009.
Five occupations had MSD case counts greater than 10,000 and their incidence rates were at least two times greater than
the MSD incidence rate for all occupations. (See table B and table 20.) Of these occupations, nursing aides, orderlies,
and attendants had the highest incidence rate of 226 MSD cases per 10,000 full-time workers and also the highest case
count. Nearly 60 percent of the MSD cases for this occupation occurred to the back, however, the median days away from
work was 5 days, compared to 7 days for all occupations.
MSDs that involved the shoulder accounted for 13 percent of the cases and required a median of 21 days before the worker
returned to work. The back was injured in nearly half of the MSD cases and required a median of 7 days to recuperate.
For all occupations, the most severe MSD cases occurred to the abdomen, requiring a median of 22 days for the worker to
return to work but accounted for only 6 percent of the MSD cases.
Table B. Median number of days away from work and percent of total musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) by selected
occupations and selected part of body, all ownerships, 2009
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Selected part of body
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Median days away from work by -
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Selected occupation Total Shoulder Back Abdomen Arm Wrist Leg Multiple body parts
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All occupations 10 21 7 22 15 14 15 15
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 6 8 5 16 8 4 8 5
Laborers and freight, stock, and
material movers, hand 11 21 6 32 27 15 17 20
Janitors and cleaners, except maids
and housekeeping cleaners 9 11 7 26 16 11 8 16
Truck drivers, heavy and
tractor-trailer 15 30 11 24 25 20 18 20
Truck drivers, light or delivery
services 15 41 10 35 30 32 26 30
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Percent of total MSDs
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Selected occupation Total Shoulder Back Abdomen Arm Wrist Leg Multiple body parts
---------------------------------------- ----- -------- ---- ------- --- ----- --- -------------------
All occupations 100.0 13.3 46.5 5.5 4.5 6.5 7.5 5.6
Nursing aides, orderlies, and attendants 100.0 12.2 59.2 1.0 2.5 4.4 4.3 8.3
Laborers and freight, stock, and
material movers, hand 100.0 13.9 48.7 8.3 3.9 4.3 6.6 4.4
Janitors and cleaners, except maids
and housekeeping cleaners 100.0 16.1 50.3 4.6 5.1 3.6 6.1 5.2
Truck drivers, heavy and
tractor-trailer 100.0 17.1 44.9 7.7 5.2 3.5 8.7 4.2
Truck drivers, light or delivery
services 100.0 12.6 47.6 5.2 3.7 1.4 14.3 4.7
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Worker characteristics
Worker characteristics include age, gender, race or ethnic origin, and length of service with the employer at the time of
the incident. (See table 5 and table 17.)
Age. For all ownerships including private sector, state government, and local government, the number of
days-away-from-work cases decreased for all age groupings from 16 years of age to 65 and over. (See table 5.) The number
of days-away-from-work cases for workers 20 to 24 years of age decreased 15 percent to 101,830 cases. For state
government workers, the number of nonfatal injuries and illnesses to workers 45 to 54 years of age increased
10 percent.
For all ownerships, workers 45 to 54 years accounted for about 25 percent of all days-away-from-work cases with
315,770 cases. The incidence rate for this age group and workers 35 to 44 years of age was 123 cases per 10,000
full-time workers. Occupational injuries and illnesses for workers 65 years of age and over were less severe in 2009;
their median days away from work decreased by 3 to 12 days. With the exception of workers 14 years of age and under,
the median days away from work increased for age groups as they became older--ranging from 3 days for workers
14 to 15 years of age to 12 days for workers 65 years of age and older.
Gender. The proportion of days-away-from-work cases occurring to women went from 37 percent to 39 percent in 2009,
despite the proportion of women in the workforce staying the same at 48 percent. The incidence rate per 10,000
full-time workers for men was 129 cases and 102 cases for women.
Race or ethnicity. The number of injuries and illnesses decreased by 12 percent for Hispanic or Latino worker to
140,690 cases; decreased 10 percent for white workers to 511,890 cases; and decreased 5 percent for black or African
American workers to 101,800 cases. Race or ethnicity was unreported in 37 percent of days-away-from-work cases.
Notes
This release is the third in a series of releases from the BLS covering occupational safety and health statistics in
2009. The first release, in August 2010, covered work-related fatalities from the 2009 Census of Fatal Occupational
Injuries. In October 2010, the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) reported the total recordable cases
by industry and case type for occupational injuries and illnesses for 2009. Additional background and methodological
information regarding the BLS occupational safety and health program can be found in Chapter 9 of the BLS Handbook of
Methods at http://www.bls.gov/opub/hom/pdf/homch9.pdf.
This release does not present all the publishable estimates and rates for days-away-from-work cases. Additional detailed
data are available from BLS staff on 202-691-6170, iifstaff@bls.gov, and the BLS Internet site at
http://www.bls.gov/iif/home.htm.